A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 7

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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07.
No matter how skilled I was at waltzing, dancing with twenty partners was simply exhausting. By the end, my ankles throbbed with an ache I couldn’t ignore.
Exhausted, I had retreated to the Princess’s Private Lounge and was applying ice to my sore ankle when it happened.
A knock sounded at the door.
“May I come in for a moment?”
“Duke Myers. You’ve arrived.”
Abigail and Dorothy, who had been attending me, tilted their heads in bewilderment before opening the door at my command.
Cedric entered with measured, deliberate steps, then surveyed all the attendants, including Abigail and Dorothy, before speaking.
“Your Highness, I have something to discuss with you in private. Would you be so kind as to dismiss your attendants?”
Before I could respond, Dorothy drew in a sharp breath, and Abigail let out a knowing laugh.
Soon Abigail approached my side and whispered softly.
“Princess Charlotte, it seems Duke Myers has something he wishes to discuss discreetly.”
“Discreetly? He’s making it perfectly obvious.”
“Then we shall take our leave.”
Though I was taken aback, I nodded in agreement. Soon only the two of us remained in the Princess’s Private Lounge.
I gestured with my hand, inviting him to sit on the sofa across from me.
But he immediately shook his head. Feeling oddly embarrassed, I took a sip of tea from the table.
Yet something seemed off about Cedric.
Though his expression was as stoic as always, the cravat he habitually wore tightly around his neck was disheveled, and one of his gloves was missing—apparently discarded somewhere.
In other words, he was quite visibly tense.
“Duke, is something the matter? You don’t look well.”
“No, there is nothing amiss with my health. I simply…”
Cedric answered with a furrowed brow, shifting his posture uneasily several times before releasing a sigh.
“No, actually, it seems my health may be affected. As a Holy Knight who must maintain emotional control, this is certainly unusual.”
That was when it happened.
A loud commotion erupted from beyond the door, cutting off Cedric’s words entirely.
As my head turned toward the door, Cedric’s face went rigid.
He approached the doorway instead of me and questioned the Guard Knight.
“What is the matter?”
“The Sixth Prince of Blake has come to see Your Highness.”
“Prince Leonard? To see me? Whatever for?”
“I’m afraid I don’t yet know the reason, but…”
The Guard Knight glanced hesitantly at Cedric’s face before asking me.
“S-shall we turn him away?”
“We cannot turn away the Prince. Ask him to wait in the Reception Room for now.”
After instructing the Guard Knight, I turned back to Cedric to press him for his purpose.
“So, Duke, what was it you wanted to tell me?”
Standing awkwardly by the door felt strange, but judging by the tension in his face, it must be urgent.
Wouldn’t it be better to settle this quickly and send him on his way?
Yet by then, Cedric had already regained his composed expression, his usual calm demeanor settling over him as he bowed his head.
“I’ll visit again another time.”
“Didn’t you say you wanted to tell me today? Speak now.”
“No, I’ll come back next time.”
Ignoring my words, Cedric began moving toward the door.
Defying the Princess’s command—it was then I realized once more that the male leads’ manners were indeed exchanged at equal value with their beauty.
Abigail, who had been waiting outside, rushed to my side in an instant.
“Your Highness, please come to your senses.”
“Hm? What do you mean?”
“The fact that the Sixth Prince visited you so personally could mean he’s come to propose marriage.”
At Abigail’s words, my face drained of color.
“That’s absurd.”
“Historically speaking, it makes sense.”
“Pardon me.”
Just then, Leonard abruptly entered the room.
Seeing Abigail and me standing awkwardly with uncomfortable expressions, he raised an eyebrow.
“I said pardon me, but have I truly intruded?”
Yes.
“Not at all, Your Highness. Please, sit down.”
I calmly returned to the sofa and gestured to the seat across from me, just as before.
Leonard approached with a wide, confident stride and settled into the opposite seat.
Since the person who had been right before my eyes just five minutes ago was Cedric, comparison was inevitable.
Leonard was vastly different from Cedric in many ways.
Cedric possessed the eyes of a quiet dawn, while this prince’s gaze flickered like molten lava flowing through flames.
If Cedric were a perfect Holy Knight, then this prince would be a seasoned mercenary.
Though he exuded a rough and cruel atmosphere, he remained composed and detached in all things.
He even leisurely glanced around the lounge while I sat before him.
As I continued observing him anxiously, an unwanted question slipped from his lips.
“Your Highness, there’s something I wish to discuss with you alone. Would you dismiss your attendants?”
Could my worst fears actually be coming true?
While I stood with my mouth agape, Abigail and Dorothy arbitrarily took the other attendants and left the room. My anxiety grew as I wondered if Abigail’s warning might be true.
“In truth, I have something I wish to give you, Your Highness.”
Leonard reached without hesitation into the inside of his coat.
I had seen this gesture countless times before the banquet even began, and would likely see it many more times in the future—so I had no choice but to leap from my seat.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness! I cannot accept your proposal of marriage.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Pardon?”
As my vacant question hung in the air, silence fell. I lowered my gaze to the object in the prince’s hand as he sat on the sofa.
A long, flat rectangular box. It was definitely not a ring case.
I lifted my eyes again to look at Leonard. One of his thick eyebrows was slightly raised in puzzlement.
My face flushed crimson in an instant, and I collapsed back onto the sofa in embarrassment.
“….”
Silence stretched between us for a long moment.
Gathering my courage, I finally dared to glance at Leonard.
He rested his hand against his lips, his gaze fixed on some distant wall, yet his trembling mouth made it abundantly clear he was suppressing laughter.
Oh no, I want to die.
I hung my head low and mumbled in a voice barely above a whisper.
“I… I apologize for my mistake. I would be grateful if you could forgive me.”
“Not at all. Since I mentioned wanting to be alone with you, it’s understandable to be confused. It was my mistake.”
Leonard cleared his throat once and lowered his hand from his lips.
Yet his mouth still curved upward in a smile. I felt the urge to die of embarrassment all over again.
“The reason I wanted to be alone with you was because I wished to give you a special gift, Your Highness.”
“A special gift?”
Leonard extended a box toward me. I accepted it and, after a moment of hesitation, opened it.
Inside lay a stone no larger than my thumb, yet it resembled a precious gem far more than an ordinary rock.
The way it shimmered with different colors depending on the angle was breathtakingly beautiful, and I couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
“What is this?”
“I crossed the Lesher Desert without using teleportation, accompanied only by my Royal Guard.”
“The Lesher Desert? That’s not a place anyone can simply cross.”
At my words, he simply smiled knowingly. I recognized the arrogance behind that smile but chose not to respond.
His presumptuous attitude irritated me for some reason.
“The Lesher Desert contained the raw materials necessary for a magical artifact I needed. While procuring them, I obtained this—Delignio’s Tear—as a bonus. It’s a magical stone containing more mana than most high-ranking mages possess.”
“Why would you tell me such a secret, and why give me such a valuable item?”
“You’re well aware that I’m in a power struggle with the 1st Prince. He has courted you, after all.”
“….”
“This is how I’m asking you to become my friend, Your Highness.”
Leonard rested his chin in his hand and laughed freely.
“Though I won’t court you.”
“Ugh.”
“Would you like me to?”
At his playful tone, I finally couldn’t bear it any longer and buried my face in my hands.
“Your Highness, please forget about this.”
Unable to contain himself any longer, Leonard burst into loud, unrestrained laughter.
At this point, I genuinely considered whether striking this prince on the head hard enough to make him lose his memory might be the right thing to do.
I was completely serious. As I ground my teeth and clenched my fists beneath the folds of my dress, he finally spoke.
His laughter gradually subsided as he asked.
“So I hope you won’t reject the gift even if you reject my courtship. Will you refuse it?”
“…I’m not the type to refuse gifts.”
I answered with a sly expression, closed the box, and set it beside the table.
“If you’ll cleanly forget what just happened, I’ll accept it.”
“My, what happened between us just now?”
His playful expression proved contagious, and I found myself laughing despite my best efforts to maintain composure.
“I’ll accept it gratefully. In return, I’d like to offer my thanks as well—is there something you’d like to do during the Banquet Hall, Sixth Prince?”
“…Hmm.”
Leonard rubbed his chin thoughtfully before speaking.
“In that case, would you perhaps be able to spare me some time tomorrow?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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